System and method for efficient management of fibre channel communication

ABSTRACT

A system and method for managing a Fibre Channel adapter is disclosed. When a close request is received by the Fibre Channel adapter, the adapter is set to a quasi-open state. In a quasi-open state, the adapter keeps the link to the Fibre Channel network open, releases extended resources, and maintains minimal resources in order to keep the link open. When a request is received by the adapter while in a quasi-open state, the request is rejected thereby preventing other devices from logging into the quasi-opened device and informing other devices that the quasi-opened device is not currently communicating across the Fibre Channel network. An information handling system and a computer program product for implementing the Fibre Channel adapter quasi-open state are further disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates in general to a method and system for using a Fibre Channel. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved system and method for opening and closing a Fibre Channel device to improve device efficiency within the Fibre Channel fabric.

2. Description of the Related Art

Computer systems in general and International Business Machines (IBM) compatible personal computer systems in particular have attained widespread use for providing computer power to many segments of today's modern society. Computer systems typically include a system processor and associated volatile and non-volatile memory, a display area, input means, and often interfaces, such as a network interface or modem, to other computing devices.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of these systems is the use of a system board to electrically connect these components together. These computing devices are information handling systems which are designed primarily to give independent computing power to a single user, or a group of users in the case of networked computing devices. Personal computing devices are often inexpensively priced for purchase by individuals or businesses. Nonvolatile storage devices such as hard disks, CD-ROM drives and magneto-optical drives are considered to be peripheral devices. Computing devices are often linked to one another using a network, such as a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), or other type of network. Computer systems can also be interconnected using a Fibre Channel network. By linking to other computer systems, a computing device can use resources owned by another computing device. These resources can include files stored on nonvolatile storage devices and resources such as printers and storage area networks (SANs).

Data Storage has become an increasingly important issue for business people and IT professionals. Organizations store records in databases regarding customers, products, competitors, and other records. This storage space becomes expensive when more data is stored. These expenses can be potentially prohibitive for small businesses who must employ people to manage the data, purchase storage equipment and software, and ensure that the data is properly protected from disaster or storage device failure. A solution to this problem comes in the form of an emerging technology called Fibre Channel. Fibre Channel can be used to connect devices to each other, including connecting computer systems to storage devices such as SAN devices.

Fibre Channel is a high speed (100 to 1000 Mbps currently, with speeds increasing quickly over time) medium used for data transfer and storage. It is essentially a serial data channel preferably created over fiber optic cabling. Fibre Channel provides a logical bi-directional, point-to-point connection between a host and a device. Similar to networking technologies using local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) configurations, Fibre Channel also is used to connect PCs, servers, printers, and storage devices. Because Fibre Channel allows the use of fiber optic cabling, connections along a Fibre Channel network makes it possible to transfer data at greater distances. In addition, Fibre Channel makes high-speed data transfers possible. Fibre Channel also provides increased bandwidth over communication channels.

Channels and networks are the two primary ways that data is transferred between devices. Such devices include processors and peripherals such as printers and storage devices. Channels transfer data through switched or direct point to point connections. Channels work by creating a fixed connection between the source and destination devices until the transfer is complete. Channels transfer data at high speeds and are very economical. Networks (i.e., LAN or WAN), on the other hand are collections of nodes such as processors, print devices, and workstations. Connections on networks are typically slower than those made via channels. Also, because networks are software intensive, they are much more expensive due to upgrade and compatibility issues. Channels work best among few devices and connect via predefined addresses. Networks, on the other hand, can handle multiple requests among multiple connections.

Fibre Channel is hybrid of both network and channel methods. Consequently, Fibre Channel is often considered a new I/O (input/output) interface that combines the best of networks and channels. In addition, Fibre Channel systems can be configured in different ways depending on needs of the user, thus providing flexibility in an ever changing systems environment.

Devices are connected on Fibre Channel systems using various interconnection topologies. Interconnection devices available for use on Fibre Channel are switches, hubs, and bridges. The ability of Fibre Channel to use different interconnect devices makes it scalable depending on user needs. For small Fibre Channel networks, hubs and bridges may be used for connecting devices in a topology called Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL). As Fibre Channel networks get larger and network demands increase, switching may be implemented. A switched Fibre Channel network is called a “fabric.” A fabric is simply the underlying switching architecture used by a Fibre Channel switch. A fabric may contain many loops interconnected with switches.

SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) is a common storage interface for I/O systems. However, SCSI environments have challenges, including limited bandwidth, limited distances, and limited device connections. An advantage of Fibre Channel is increased transmission speed and transmission distance. Data can be sent over longer distances using Fibre Channel because of fiber optic cabling, whereas SCSI only allows data transfers at distances up to 30 meters. Another advantage of Fibre Channel is that it allows millions of device connections, whereas SCSI adapters are usually allowed only eight to sixteen device connections.

Although the ideal medium for Fibre Channel is fiber optic cabling, Fibre Channel can also be used with a variety of cable types such as copper, coaxial cables or Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) wires. Fiber optic cabling is generally preferred on a Fibre Channel system for purposes of increased speed and reliability. Fiber optic cabling works by using photons to transmit digital signals. A laser light connected to a device pulses in binary format (0's and 1's). A light emitting diode (LED) codes and transmits the signal from one end of the cable. This signal is subsequently decoded at the other end of the cable by a photo-detector connected to the receiving device. Fiber optic cables do not have the same challenges that are associated with copper cabling. These challenges include attenuation (loss of signal strength) and noise. Fiber optic cables are also more secure than copper cables because crosstalk does not occur with Fiber Optic cables (crosstalk is interference caused by a signal transferring from one circuit to another, as on a telephone line). This insures that data being transferred across a network gets to its destination intact which makes the stored data more reliable for the user.

Fibre Channel technology makes use of classes of service to define messaging types (communication between devices). According to the ANSI standard, a Fibre Channel system's classes of service can be 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6. These classes make it possible to configure Fibre Channel systems according to the needs of the users.

In a class 1 configuration, there is a dedicated channel between two connection devices. In this configuration, if a host and a device are connected, no other host uses the connection. The advantage of using service class 1 is speed and reliability which is an excellent combination for mass storage use such as in a data library. Class 2 is known as a “connectionless” service. Class 2 provides a frame-switched link that guarantees delivery of packets from device to device. It also provides packet receipt acknowledgments. In this configuration, bandwidth is shared among several devices, as there is no dedicated link. The third Fibre Channel service class (Class 3) is called “unacknowledged connectionless service” and is often used for messages that do not need to be acknowledged, as there is no acknowledgement with a Class 3 configuration. Class 4 is called “fraction bandwidth connection oriented” and allows a device to reserve a portion of the overall bandwidth and use the reserved portion to create a dedicated channel between devices (similar to Class 1, except only part of the available bandwidth is used for the dedicated channel). Class 6 is called “multicast” and is used for one-to-many broadcast communications over the Fibre Channel network. There is an additional Fibre Channel service class called “intermix,” which creates a dedicated connection like that of class one, but it also allows class 2 traffic to access the link. This method is efficient and allows for greater bandwidth because more than one connection can access the system at any time.

The Fibre Channel Structure, or architecture, is set forth in the table below. The layers in the table represent a different function that exists within a Fibre channel system.

Layer Function FC-0 Physical characteristic specifications FC-1 Encoding/Decoding FC-2 Data Transfer Sequence Management/Data Framing FC-3 Bandwidth Management FC-4 Application/Protocol Management

FIG. 1 shows various topologies that are used with Fibre Channel. These topologies include Loop topology 110, Point-to-Point topology 120, and Fabric topology 100. Within these topologies, several connection types can exist between two Fibre Channel nodes. These include point-to-point connections, cluster connections, and switched connections. Point-to-point connections are typically used for high-speed connections at maximum distances. In this type of connection, no other device accesses the connection while two devices are communicating. Cluster connections connect multiple devices such as workgroup clusters, while switched connections allow more than one simultaneous connection of devices. A transceiver is a device that connects cabling to devices on any network or system and makes data transmission possible between devices.

Fabric topology 100 permits multiple paths between two ports on the Fabric. Loop topology 110, on the other hand, uses one active circuit at a time. Loop and fabric topologies can be combined. In addition, a fabric may contain one or more loops. If a link in a point-to-point topology 120 fails, communication between that pair of ports stops, while communication between other point-to-point connected Ports continues.

Fabric topology 100 includes a switch or a network of switches. These switches create the connections between devices in order for frames to be transported between the connections based on specifying a destination identifier (ID). If the destination ID is determined to be invalid, the fabric rejects the transmission. The function of the Fabric is similar to that of a telephone system, which provides a complete, low-cost connectivity solution. Fibre Channel establishes temporary, direct, and full-bandwidth connections between devices. Fibre Channel makes use of unique address identifiers, similar to telephone numbers, to connect processors to other processors or peripherals at distances currently reaching up to 10 km.

Storage Area Networks are increasing in popularity due to high demand by users who need to store large volumes of data. In addition, the cost of magnetic media that comprise Storage Area Networks continues to fall, thus making large data networks both attractive and feasible. The data in a Storage Area Network might be used in data warehouses or decision support systems used by businesses. There are also new applications for Storage Area Networks such as fault tolerant RAID clusters. Storage Area Networks can operate using network interconnect devices such as SCSI, Fibre Channel, HIPPI, or Sonnet. A SAN is a group of storage devices connected via a network of connections to hosts machines across greater distances than are possible on a traditional LAN. Storage Area Networks enable users to store large volumes of data at remote locations. These remote locations, called libraries, make it possible for businesses to store their data, whether for the purpose of creating backups or moving data management away from the primary site. If used for storage, a SAN will typically contain many high capacity Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) devises configured for the specific interconnect device used on the SAN. Other types of data that can be stored on SAN devices include databases, video, and streaming media. On a Storage Area Network using a Fibre Channel interconnect, backups can be performed throughout the workday. Thus, eliminating timely and costly after hours backups. Storage Area Networks eliminate bottlenecks that make it difficult to access data on traditional networks.

Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop Specification (FC-AL), provides for Loop Initialization Primitives (LIPS) to occur whenever a new device enters the loop (or Fabric as Fabrics often include one or more loops). LIPs are basically messages directing all other devices on the loop to stop the current processing activity because something on the loop topology has changed (i.e., a new device has been powered on, a device has entered or left the loop, etc.). When a LIP occurs, each device updates their internal maps identifying the various devices on the loop. LIPs are necessary because each device on a Fibre Channel loop needs to know target device addresses in order to establish dedicated circuits. When the LIP sequence completes, each device resumes the activity they were performing before the LIP sequence was initiated. In some implementations on a loop or fabric, each time the Fibre Channel adapter for any device is opened or closed, the laser light on the adapter is turned on and off causing another LIP sequence. Increasing the number of devices on the loop exacerbates the condition by causing more LIPs. LIPs interrupt all devices connected to the loop. Often a LIP will be initiated even though the adapter on the LIP-causing device does not enter or leave the loop, only the light on the adapter was toggled causing a LIP condition.

When a device is connected to a Fibre Channel loop, it is in one of two modes—“participating mode” or “non-participating mode.” A device may have multiple logical ports connected to the Fibre Channel loop. A device's logical port is in participating mode when it has acquired a physical address. A device acquires a physical address through an initialization process. A logical port that is in participating mode may voluntarily relinquish control of its physical address and enter nonparticipating mode. This allows another logical port to use the physical address. A device's logical port is in nonparticipating mode when it does not have a valid physical address. Reasons for not having a physical address may be that the logical port was unable to obtain a physical address, the logical port voluntarily does not participate, or the logical port has been bypassed and has recognized a LIP. Nonparticipating mode is the default operational mode for a logical port.

Before a logical port can send data through the Fibre Channel loop, it must arbitrate for the loop. In order to do this, the logical port sends an arbitrate (ARB) message across the loop. A priority scheme determines which logical port receives the loop if multiple nodes request the loop at the same time. When a device's logical port receives ownership of the loop, the device can communicate with another port on the loop.

When a new port wants to enter the loop (enter participating mode), the FC_AL specification states that the device's logical port will send out a LIP indicating such. Any operations that were being performed on the loop are suspended. This means that devices that were transferring data on the loop must stop what they were doing and participate in the initialization sequence. The purpose is to assign a physical address to the new logical port. Next, a device on the loop is chosen as the loop master to manage the, initialization and coordinate the selection of a physical address for the new port. Optionally, a positional map is generated and propagated to all devices on the loop. At this point, the loop master issues a CLS primitive and finally IDLE primitives, which inform the devices attached to the loop that they can resume normal operations. The device that owned the loop before the initialization took place has to arbitrate again for the loop.

The reason the initialization process is performed is because an addition/deletion to the loop is a state change. It may be that a target device was removed from the loop and, consequently, the corresponding physical address disappears. In addition, a target device intended for future communications may have been removed. If initialization was not performed, a device may attempt to communicate with a nonexistent device.

When LIPs occur, the internal state machine of the FC-AL device enters into the OPEN-INIT state, which is the state that is used to deal with initialization/address assignment. When it is doing normal I/O, it is in the “loop circuit” state. The device cannot be in two states at once as the hardware operates in one state at a time. Performing LIPs/address assignment and normal I/O at the same time would require simultaneous use of two states, which is not possible. When the fiber optic laser connected to a device's Fibre Channel adapter turns on and off, the toggled light is interpreted as entering or leaving the loop, thus causing a LIP condition.

In short, state changes on the loop have to be dealt with immediately because they are major events on the loop. State changes can affect current or future I/O operations. The FC-AL protocol allows for only two devices to use the loop at the same time. Interleaving normal I/O messages and LIPs on the loop is not allowed or supported by the protocol.

FIG. 2 shows two devices in the prior art connecting to Fibre Channel Fabric 220. Device 200 is shown in closed 200 status. When a device, such as device 200, is in a closed state, a connection no longer exists between the device and the Fibre Channel fabric. Device 250 is shown being in opened 240 status. Because device 230 is in the open state, a connection exists between it and Fibre Channel Fabric 220. When the connection is open, request 250 can be transmitted to device 230. Device 230 can process request 250 and send response 260 to another device connected to Fibre Channel Fabric 220. Other devices that may be connected to Fibre Channel Fabric include disk storage device 270 and tape device 280.

FIG. 3 shows what happens when device 300 toggles between open state 310 and closed state 320. Other device 360 sends request 330 to device 300 through Fibre Channel Interconnect 350. If device 300 is in open state 310, it processes the request and sends response 340 to a target device through Fibre Channel Interconnect 350. Because other device 360 performs Fibre Channel Re-initialization whenever device 300 toggles between open state 310 and closed state 320, other device 360 does not send request 330 to device 300 when device 300 is in closed state 320. However, having other devices perform Fibre Channel re-initialization each time any device connected to Fibre Channel Interconnect changes states is costly in terms of efficiency and throughput. In fact, certain devices, such as switches, may disconnect a Fibre Channel loop when the number of re-initializations exceeds a threshold, as high numbers of re-initializations may indicate that the loop is experiencing difficulties.

A challenge, therefore, with Fibre Channel connected devices is being able to open and close the Fibre Channel connection without causing a LIP condition to occur. Consequently, what is needed is a system and method for preventing unnecessary Fibre Channel re-initializations.

SUMMARY

It has been discovered that providing a system and method for opening and closing the Fibre Channel connection without causing a LIP condition to occur improves individual system, as well as overall network, performance. When a close request is received by the adapter, the adapter enters a quasi-open state rather than actually closing the adapter. The quasi-open state keeps the link between the adapter and the Fibre Channel network open by maintaining a minimal set of resources. Extended resources, needed to operate in open mode, are released.

While operating in quasi-open mode, the adapter sends a “rejection” message to any devices that attempt to communicate with it. The rejection message informs other devices that the device is not currently communicating on the Fibre Channel network. Three possible states now exist for the adapter: (i) an open state wherein the adapter receives requests, processes the requests, and sends responses to the requests; (ii) a quasi-open state wherein the adapter is capable of receiving requests since the link is open but summarily rejects received requests; and (iii) a closed state wherein the adapter is no longer linked to the Fibre Channel network and therefore neither receives nor sends data across the network. In a preferred embodiment, the adapter toggles between the open and quasi-open states in order to avoid the close state, and consequently avoid causing LIP conditions on the Fibre Channel network.

The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity, simplifications, generalizations, and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of the present invention, as defined solely by the claims, will become apparent in the non-limiting detailed description set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may be better understood, and its numerous objects, features, and advantages made apparent to those skilled in the art by referencing the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.

FIG. 1 (prior art) shows three Fibre Channel topologies used to connect devices;

FIG. 2 (prior art) shows and open and a closed device from a system perspective on a Fibre Channel fabric;

FIG. 3 (prior art) shows a block diagram of the effect on other devices of a device connected to a Fibre Channel Interconnect toggling between open and closed states;

FIG. 4 shows an open, a closed, and a “quasi-open” device from a system perspective on a Fibre Channel fabric;

FIG. 5 shows the minimal effect on other devices of a device connected to a Fibre Channel Interconnect toggling between open and quasi-open states;

FIG. 6 shows processing performed by a device in either quasi-open or opened states;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of functions allocated by a device when in open, closed, and quasi-open states;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of processing performed by an adapter when receiving open and close commands from a host device; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an information handling system capable of implementing the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following is intended to provide a detailed description of an example of the invention and should not be taken to be limiting of the invention itself. Rather, any number of variations may fall within the scope of the invention which is defined in the claims following the description.

FIGS. 1-3 show aspects of the prior art and are described in the Description of the Related Art subsection found in the Background section above.

FIG. 4 shows Fibre Channel Fabric 450 with devices 400, 420, and 460. Device 460 is shown in open state 470. Because device 460 is in open state 470, it receives request 480 from another device attached to Fibre Channel Fabric 450, processes the request, and sends response 490 to a target device. Device 420, on the other hand, is shown in closed state 425. Because device 420 is in closed state 425, no link exists between device 420 and Fibre Channel Fabric 450. If device 420 was connected to Fibre Channel Fabric 450 and subsequently disconnected, all devices connected to Fibre Channel Fabric 450, such as devices 400 and 460, would need to re-initialize their internal maps regarding the devices present in Fibre Channel Fabric 450.

In contrast, device 400 is shown being in quasi-open state 405. In quasi-open state 405, device 400 allocates minimal resources needed to simply keep a link established with Fibre Channel Fabric 450. Because minimal resources are maintained, any request, such as request 410, received by device 400 is rejected as shown by reject message 415. Reject message 415 informs devices that attempt to communicate with device 400 that device 400 is not currently processing requests. Disk storage device 430 and tape device 440 are common target devices that may receive requests and data from another device connected to Fibre Channel Fabric 450.

FIG. 5 shows device 500 toggling between open state 510 and quasi-open state 520. FIG. 5 also shows the minimal impact such toggling has on other device 560. Device 500 has a link established with Fibre Channel Interconnect 550. With a link established, the adapter light in device 500 is kept on when the device is in either open state 510 or quasi-open state 520.

Other device 560 prepares request 525 and sends it to device 500 through Fibre Channel Interconnect 550. Device 500 receives request 525. If device 500 is in open state 510, device 500 processes request 525 and sends response data 530 to other device 560. Other device 560, in turn, receives response frame 570 which also informs other device 560 that device 500 has an open link to Fibre Channel Interconnect 550 and is accepting requests.

On the other hand, if device 500 is in quasi-open state 520, device 500 prepares rejection 540 in response to receiving request 525. In this case, rejection frame 580 is received by other device 560 informing other device 560 that device 500 has a link that is only partially opened. In this manner, other device 560 refrains from sending further requests to device 500 until device 500's link is fully opened.

FIG. 6 shows processing performed by device 610 in either quasi-open or open states. If device 610 is in an open state, open link branch 620 is taken leading to open mode processing 630. During open mode processing 630, a request is received (input 640) by device 610 from another device connected to Fibre Channel Interconnect 600. The request is processed to prepare a corresponding response (step 650). The response is then sent (output 660) to another device connected to Fibre Channel Interconnect 600. Open mode processing 630 continues until a request is received from device 610 to close the connection to Fibre Channel Interconnect 600.

When a close request is received, the adapter actually enters a quasi-open mode leaving the link to Fibre Channel Interconnect 600 open rather than actually closing the link between device 610 and Fibre Channel Interconnect 600. When device 600 has previously requested to close the connection, close link branch 670 is taken leading to quasi-open mode (QOM) processing 675. While in quasi-open mode, the link between device 610 and Fibre Channel Interconnect is actually open, however device 610 has requested that the link be closed and device 610 is not processing requests received from Fibre Channel Interconnect 600. During quasi-open mode processing 675, requests are received (input 680) from other devices connected to Fibre Channel Interconnect 600. However, rather than processing the request, device 610 simply returns a rejection message to the requesting device (output 690). Device 610 continues to reject all incoming requests until it enters open mode 630 whereupon incoming requests are processed and returned. In this manner, device 610 can continue to toggle between open mode processing 630 and quasi-open mode processing 675 while leaving the link between device 610 and Fibre Channel Interconnect active.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of resources allocated by a device when in open state 701, quasi-open state 702, and closed state 703. While in open state 701, the device allocates more resources than in either quasi-open mode or closed mode. In open mode 701, a large pool of direct memory accessed data buffers 705 are allocated from the pinned heap. Infrastructure 710 is also allocated for issuing and completion I/O commands. This infrastructure includes SCSI structures 715 for using the SCSI interface, command pool 720 of I/O commands, and response pool 725 including standardized responses that are sent across Fibre Channel Interconnect 700 to other devices. Infrastructure 730 is allocated to handle link events that occur while the device is linked to Fibre Channel Interconnect 700. Full functioned interrupt handler 735 is allocated to handle interrupts that occur on Fibre Channel Interconnect 700. Process 740 is allocated to gather link statistics. Login information 745 is maintained to provide device connections with Fibre Channel Interconnect 700. Information is made concerning (i) other devices connected to the device, and (ii) other devices to which the device is connected. Finally, link 750, or laser light, is on so that the device can transmit over Fibre Channel Interconnect 700. With all functions allocated and operating, the device can receive request 755 from another device connected to Fibre Channel Interconnect 700 and has the resources available to process the request and send response 760 back to the other device.

At the other extreme, when a device is in closed state 703, no resources are allocated. Link 799, or the laser light, is off preventing any requests from reaching the device and, consequently, the device is unable to send any requests or responses to other devices through Fibre Channel Interconnect 700. When a device toggles between open mode 701 and closed mode 703, other devices connected to Fibre Channel Interconnect perform Fibre Channel re-initialization disrupting processing that occurs in other devices and disturbing the flow of data through Fibre Channel Interconnect 700.

Quasi-open mode 702 provides a minimal set of resources so that the device can receive request 790 and respond with rejection 795. In addition, link 788 (the laser light) is kept on so that other devices do not perform Fibre Channel re-initialization each time the device toggles between quasi-open mode 702 and open mode 701. In quasi-open mode 702, skeleton driver 775 is allocated. Skeleton driver 775 is capable of receiving and responding to Extended Link Services (ELS). However, skeleton driver 775 does not include the complete infrastructure allocated when the device was in open mode 701. Skeleton driver 775 also includes skeleton interrupt handler 780 to handle some interrupts that occur within Fibre Channel Interconnect 700. Skeleton interrupt handler 780 does not include all the features of full function interrupt handler that is allocated when the device is in open mode 701. Buffers 785 are allocated to store a minimal set of direct memory accessed data buffers as needed to store synchronous ELS information.

In a preferred embodiment, once a link is established between the device and Fibre Channel Interconnect 700, the device only toggles between open mode 701 and quasi-open mode 702. In this manner, the link between the device and Fibre Channel Interconnect 700 is kept open preventing other devices from performing unnecessary Fibre Channel re-initialization every time the device toggles between closed state 703 and either open state 701 or quasi-open state 702.

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of processing performed by an adapter when receiving open and close commands from a host device. Processing commences at start 800. The adapter then receives a request from the host machine (input 805). The adapter determines what type of request has been received (decision 810). While more requests than “open link” and “close link” are possible, these two requests are shown in FIG. 8 because these requests cause a state change in the adapter. If an “open link” request was sent by the host, “open link” branch 815 is taken. The adapter determines the current state of the adapter (decision 820). If the adapter is in quasi-open mode, decision 820 branches to “yes” branch 825 whereupon extended resources are allocated (step 830). See FIG. 7 to contrast extended resources allocated in open mode 701 that are not allocated in quasi-open mode 702. Returning to FIG. 8, after extended resources have been allocated (the link is already established and therefore does not need to be opened), processing returns (loop 895) to receive the next request from the host (input 805).

If decision 820 determines that the adapter is not in quasi-open mode (i.e., the adapter is in a closed state), “no” branch 835 is taken whereupon all open mode resources are allocated and the link is opened. Quasi-open mode resources are allocated (step 840)(see FIG. 7, quasi-open mode 702, for details of allocated quasi-open mode resources). Extended resources are allocated (step 845). The sum of quasi-open mode resources and extended resources is the set of open mode resources 701 shown in FIG. 7. Returning to FIG. 8, since the adapter is in a closed state, a preferred device address is established (step 850) that will be used when the device is linked to the Fibre Channel interconnect. After a preferred device address is established, the device opens a link (step 852) onto the Fibre Channel. Because the link is new, other devices connected to the Fibre Channel will perform Fibre Channel re-initialization in response to the device being inserted into the Fibre Channel. However, once the device is successfully linked on the Channel, Fibre Channel re-initializations are rare because the adapter link (fiber optic light) is kept on rather than cycled during state changes. Processing then returns (loop 895) to receive the next request from the host (input 805).

If the host requested that the link be closed, decision 810 branches to “close link” branch 855. A determination is made concerning whether a link has been established with the Fibre Channel network (decision 860). If a link has not been established, “no” branch 865 is taken whereupon any allocated resources are released (step 870) and the link is closed (step 875). Processing then returns (loop 895) to receive the next request from the host (input 805).

On the other hand, if a link has been established, decision 860 branches to “yes” branch 880 whereupon the adapter enters quasi-open mode (step 885) and will respond with a “reject” message to any device that attempts to communicate with it. Extended resources are released (step 890)(see FIG. 7, quasi-open mode 702, for the minimal resources that are kept). Processing then returns (loop 895) to receive the next request from the host (input 805). In this manner, the adapter preferably toggles between open and quasi-open states once an initial link has been established with the Fibre Channel. Minimizing the state changes between “close” and either “open” or “quasi-open” reduces the number of Fibre Channel re-initializations that are performed and increases overall Channel and device efficiency.

FIG. 9 illustrates information handling system 901 which is a simplified example of a computer system capable of performing the present invention. Computer system 901 includes processor 900 which is coupled to host bus 905. A level two (L2) cache memory 910 is also coupled to the host bus 905. Host-to-PCI bridge 915 is coupled to main memory 920, includes cache memory and main memory control functions, and provides bus control to handle transfers among PCI bus 925, processor 900, L2 cache 910, main memory 920, and host bus 905. PCI bus 925 provides an interface for a variety of devices including, for example, LAN card 930 and Fibre Channel Card 932. PCI-to-ISA bridge 935 provides bus control to handle transfers between PCI bus 925 and ISA bus 940, universal serial bus (USB) 30 functionality 945, IDE device functionality 950, power management functionality 955, and can include other functional elements not shown, such as a real-time clock (RTC), DMA control, interrupt support, and system management bus support. Peripheral devices and input/output (I/O) devices can be attached to various interfaces 960 (e.g., parallel interface 962, serial interface 964, infrared (IR) interface 966, keyboard interface 968, mouse interface 970, and fixed disk (FDD) 972) coupled to ISA bus 940. Alternatively, many I/O devices can be accommodated by a super I/O controller (not shown) attached to ISA bus 940.

BIOS 980 is coupled to ISA bus 940, and incorporates the necessary processor executable code for a variety of low-level system functions and system boot functions. BIOS 980 can be stored in any computer readable medium, including magnetic storage media, optical storage media, flash memory, random access memory, read only memory, and communications media conveying signals encoding the instructions (e.g., signals from a network). In order to attach computer system 901 another computer system to copy files over a network, LAN card 930 is coupled to PCI-to-ISA bridge 935. Similarly, to connect computer system 901 to an ISP to connect to the Internet using a telephone line connection, modem 975 is connected to serial port 964 and PCI-to-ISA Bridge 935.

While the computer system described in FIG. 9 is capable of executing the Internet search processes described herein, this computer system is simply one example of a computer system. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many other computer system designs are capable of performing the copying process described herein.

One of the preferred implementations of the invention is an application, namely, a set of instructions (program code) in a code module which may, for example, be resident in the random access memory of the computer. Until required by the computer, the set of instructions may be stored in another computer memory, for example, in a hard disk drive, or in a removable memory such as an optical disk (for eventual use in a CD ROM) or floppy disk (for eventual use in a floppy disk drive), or downloaded via the Internet or other computer network. Thus, the present invention may be implemented as a computer program product for use in a computer. In addition, although the various methods described are conveniently implemented in a general purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by software, one of ordinary skill in the art would also recognize that such methods may be carried out in hardware, in firmware, or in more specialized apparatus constructed to perform the required method steps.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those with skill in the art that is a specific number of an introduced claim element is intended, such intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such limitation is present. For non-limiting example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim elements. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim element by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim element to inventions containing only one such element, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an”; the same holds true for the use in the claims of definite articles. 

1. A method for managing an adapter attached to a Fibre Channel network, said method comprising: receiving a close request; and setting the adapter to a quasi-open state in response to receiving the close request, wherein the setting includes maintaining the link in an open state and not toggling a fiber optic light source included with the adapter.
 2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the setting further includes: determining whether a link is in an open state between the adapter and the Fibre Channel network; and maintaining the link in the open state.
 3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the setting further includes maintaining a set of minimal resources.
 4. The method as described in claim 3 wherein the minimal resources include one or more resources selected from the group consisting of a skeleton driver, a skeleton interrupt handler, and synchronous extended link services.
 5. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising: receiving a message from a device attached to the Fibre Channel network while in the quasi-open state; and sending a reject message in response to the received message.
 6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the setting further comprises: releasing extended resources corresponding with the adapter.
 7. The method as described in claim 6 wherein the extended resources include one or more resources selected from the group consisting of SCSI structures, Fibre Channel command pool, Fibre Channel response pool, link event infrastructure, full-function interrupt handler, link statistics gatherer, and login device connections.
 8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the setting further comprises determining a current state of the adapter, the current state selected from the group consisting of open, closed, and quasi-open.
 9. An information handling system comprising: one or more processors; a memory accessible by the processors; a nonvolatile storage device accessible by the processors; a Fibre Channel adapter operable to connect the information handling system to a Fibre Channel network, wherein the Fibre Channel adapter includes an optic light source; a link between the information handling system and the Fibre Channel network; and a Fibre Channel adapter program, the program including: means for receiving a close request; and means for setting the adapter to a quasi-open state in response to receiving the close request, wherein the means for setting includes means for maintaining the link in an open state and not toggling the optic light source included with the adapter.
 10. The information handling system as described in claim 9 further comprising: wherein the program further includes: means for determining whether the link is in an open state.
 11. The information handling system as described in claim 9 wherein the means for setting further includes maintaining a set of minimal resources.
 12. The information handling system as described in claim 11 wherein the minimal resources include one or more resources selected from the group consisting of a skeleton driver, a skeleton interrupt handler, and synchronous extended link services.
 13. The information handling system as described in claim 12 further comprising: a second memory accessible by the adapter, wherein at least one of the minimal resources is stored in the second memory.
 14. The information handling system as described in claim 9 further comprising: means for receiving a message from a devise attached to the Fibre Channel network while in the quasi-open state; and means for sending a reject message in response to the received message.
 15. The information handling system as described in claim 9 wherein the means for setting further comprises: releasing extended resources corresponding with the adapter.
 16. The information handling system as described in claim 15 wherein the extended resources include one or more resources selected from the group consisting of SCSI structures, Fibre Channel command pool, Fibre Channel response pool, link event infrastructure, full-function interrupt handler, link statistics gatherer, and login device connections.
 17. The information handling system as described in claim 9 wherein the setting further comprises means for determining a current state of the adapter, the current state selected from the group consisting of open, closed, and quasi-open.
 18. A computer program product for managing an adapter attached to a Fibre Channel network, said computer program product comprising: means for receiving a close request; and means for setting the adapter to a quasi-open state in response to receiving the close request, wherein the means for setting includes means for maintaining the link in an open state and means for not toggling a fiber optic light source included with the adapter.
 19. The computer program product as described in claim 18 wherein the setting further includes: means for determining whether a link is in an open state between the adapter and the Fibre channel network.
 20. The computer program product as described in claim 18 wherein the means for setting further includes means for maintaining a set of minimal resources.
 21. The computer program product as described in claim 20 wherein the minimal resources include one or more resources selected from the group consisting of a skeleton driver, a skeleton interrupt handler, and synchronous extended link services.
 22. The computer program product as described in claim 21 further comprising: means for receiving a message from a device attached to the Fibre Channel network while in the quasi-open state; and means for sending a reject message in response to the received message.
 23. The computer program product as described in claim 18 wherein the means for setting further comprises: means for releasing extended resources corresponding with the adapter.
 24. The computer program product as described in claim 18 wherein the setting further comprises determining a current state of the adapter, the current state selected from the group consisting of open, closed, and quasi-open. 